On the governance of the internet – renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum

B100358/2025

European Parliament resolution on the governance of the internet – renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum

(2025/2801(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its resolution of 11 February 2015 on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum,

–having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 5 June 2025 entitled ‘An International Digital Strategy for the European Union’ (JOIN (2025)0140),

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas the main role and function of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is to discuss a wide range of issues related to internet governance and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the international community;

B.whereas the purpose of the IGF is to carry out its mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) with regard to convening forums for democratic, transparent and multistakeholder policy dialogue;

C.whereas it considers that while the IGF does not adopt formal conclusions, the insights and exchanges that take place at it meaningfully contribute to the development of digital legislation across the globe;

D.whereas Parliament sent an ad hoc delegation to the 2005 WSIS and has done so for every annual meeting of the IGF that has taken place since; whereas this has been pivotal in promoting European values and fostering interaction with stakeholders;

E.whereas, on 26 June 2025, Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Members of the European Parliament signed a joint declaration during the 20th IGF meeting in Lillestrøm, Norway;

F.whereas the 80th UN General Assembly, scheduled to take place in autumn 2025, will review the IGF’s mandate, which is set to expire on 31 December 2025;

G.whereas the EU and its Member States, as well as the United States and other countries, signed the Declaration for the Future of the Internet on 28 April 2022;

1.States that the internet must be and must remain open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, secure and governed for all, by all;

2.Calls on the UN General Assembly to permanently renew the mandate of the IGF and to increase its resources and strengthen the multistakeholder model of internet governance;

3.Calls on the Member States and the EU institutions concerned to continue to support the IGF and its secretariat and to contribute to its development as an efficient and independent organisation capable of exercising its mandate and playing a part in the evolving model of internet governance;

4.Calls on the Member States and the Commission to increase their efforts to support a positive outcome at the UN General Assembly by the end of 2025, as regards the future of the IGF;

5.Considers that, although the IGF does not adopt formal conclusions, the EU has a responsibility to support this process and to raise the impact of these exchanges in policy discussions, as it offers a positive and concrete context for the shaping of the internet’s future on the basis of a multistakeholder approach;

6.Stresses that Parliament intends to continue to participate in future IGF meetings with a substantial delegation, in order to contribute effectively to formulating an EU approach to the governance of the internet, together with the Member States and the Commission;

7.Stresses that fundamental freedoms and human rights are not negotiable and must be protected both online and offline; strongly rejects the idea of a state-controlled internet and mass surveillance of the internet;

8.Stresses the importance of addressing the digital divide and structural inequalities in access to the internet; considers affordable high-speed connectivity to be essential for an inclusive digital environment that leaves no one behind;

9.Underlines the importance of preserving a single, open and interoperable internet as a global public resource and warns about any risk of fragmenting the internet;

10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.